The Most Popular Newspapers In The United Kingdom

The culture of newspaper reading in the United Kingdom started in the 19th century. The number of the newspapers circulated daily peaked during the early periods of the 21st century. The number of circulations has been decreasing gradually over the past decade because of the introduction of digital news platforms. The reduction in the 2014/2015 alone is estimated to be 6.6%. This shift in news platforms has influenced the total sales made by newspaper companies. The Sun is still the most popular newspaper in the United Kingdom despite the market dynamics. The Sun has dominated the newspaper industry for almost a decade. The Daily Mail has been its closest competitor.

1. The Sun

The Sun is the current leader in the newspaper industry. It had maintained this position except in 2013 when it went second to the Daily Mail. The Sun was established in 1964 as a successor to the Daily Herald. The Sun is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. It is published by the News Group Newspapers. The Sun has a special copy for Sunday for which it delivers about 5 million copies. The majority of the Sun’s readers are in the age group of 15-34 years accounting for about 4 million of the readers. The Sun’s digital platform is also doing well. There are about 2 million mobile sign-ups, many of whom are in the age bracket of 15-34 years. 

2. Metro

Metro is a free tabloid newspaper distributed from Monday to Friday. The Metro is published by NMG group and is distributed throughout the United Kingdom. The Metro newspaper was established in 1999. It has gained popularity over time and also has a digital platform. Its digital platform named Metro.co.uk is published and managed by a separate team. The features section covers a variety of articles including lifestyle, home, science, and health. This variety of content attracts readers from various walks of life.

3. The Daily Mail

The Daily Mail is a daily tabloid popular for its international coverage. It is published in London by the Daily Mail and the General Trust PLC. It was established in 1896. It was the first newspaper to hit a milestone 1 million sales. The average circulation for the Daily Mail is 1,343,142. These figures are lower than recorded in the previous years. Just like the other newspapers, there is a shift towards digital platforms.